


Reaper: In Search of Nothing

by FictionWriterD



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Inspired by K-Drama | Korean Drama, Korean Characters, Korean Religion & Lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22561444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FictionWriterD/pseuds/FictionWriterD
Summary: Early one morning Jeung forces the human Romeo to wake up so they could find a lost spirit, but they find something far more interesting...at least to Romeo.





	Reaper: In Search of Nothing

"Romeo...get up."

Jeung's voice echoed in the room but only Romeo had heard it. He obviously didn't want to and rolled onto his side with his back to his 'roommate'. He grumbled in annoyance. "What is it?"

The fact that it was not even two in the morning and that Romeo had been trying to sleep for the last three hours didn't seem to bother the spirit known as Jeung. Standing at just a shade under six feet tall and wearing teal colored Joseon era robes, and his hair was up in a ponytail, he was quite an imposing man who didn't appear to be older than twenty.

"I sense a malefic spirit. We must go get it."

"The hell with these spirits you keep referring to. I got school in a few hours and the last thing I need is to hear about your job," said the teenager who threw his blanket over his head. "Besides, why do you need me? You're more than capable of doing it yourself..."

Jeung stood like a statue, but rolled his eyes. He didn't have time for this. He grabbed Romeo by the ankle and pulled him out of the bed with little effort.

The end result was Romeo was pissed. "You sonuva-what's the big idea?!"

"The fact that I do not know my way around this island necessitates my need for your help, as much as neither of us want it. The faster you help me recapture this escaped spirit the faster you can return to bed. Sounds like a fair deal, I believe."

Romeo slammed his fist on his mattress, remembering the deal he had made with this spirit soldier in the last few days. "Fine, if it will humor you." He grumbled before going to get dressed.

The city of Donku was quiet, most of its eight million residents were at home asleep, where Romeo felt he should belong, but with this reaper keeping him awake the last few nights he had felt like crap from the lack of sleep. The path Jeung led him on went far from downtown where his home had been located and along the southern edge of the city, on a road that went along the southern coast. Why would the spirit come down here? There was nothing save for a few derelict docks left over from the 60s when the war had been raging. They had been left behind and were nothing less than a popular hangout spot for the local kids and teens of the island. Even Romeo had come by the docks every once in a while to relax and do some thinking.

Eventually the two left the street above and had gone down onto the sandy beach. The water had receded with the tide, and there was a minor breeze that made Romeo glad he wore a jacket. He wore all black, his favorite style, and had a leather jacket with a blue wolf on the back. His hair had been run through water before he had left his house. Not his Sunday best, but on this early morning of a Thursday he felt decent enough.

Still, he felt a need to gripe as he followed Jeung down the beach, grateful that they were walking along the concrete wall so no one could see him walking with this strangely dressed man. "You know, if my parents were still on the island they would kill me."

Romeo's parents were travelling abroad and had left him behind on Yeonog to complete his school year.

Jeung kept walking, "Was it smart for them to leave you alone?"

"I have an aunt who pays the bills, long as I keep my grades up and stay out of trouble. Though at this rate I won't be staying out of trouble if I get caught being out way past curfew, he silently added.

"Then I apologize for bringing you out here, yet it is necessary, for I am bound to you in this realm," said Jeung, whose apology was truthful. Had the rules of the underworld not forced him to bind his soul to the body of a mortal, he'd be out capturing escaped souls without any incident. Hell, he would have been done by now, most likely.

It wasn't fair to either of them, but Romeo obviously suffered the most out of it. "All I want to do is go home and sleep..."

"The soul is not far. Then we can return to your home-" The reaper kept on walking before stopping. Romeo nearly collided with him as he had dozed off.

"What is it?"

Though the waves made it hard to know whether or not he heard it accurately, Jeung knelt down on one knee. A few moments later he heard it again, and he was sure of it this time. "I hear voices."

Romeo got down behind him, not sure who would be out here at this time of night in this place. Well, anyone other than him to be exact. "Voices?"

It took a moment for Jeung to answer, but when he did it was in a whisper. "Two voices. One male, the other female."

"Catch anything they are saying?"

The reaper shook his head, "No, they are speaking too low. Maybe if I can get closer..." He went forward and peeked around the corner, and no more than twenty feet away stood a man facing a woman. She had her back to Jeung's eyes but at least he got a clear view of the man. He had some weird device hanging from around his neck and he was dressed in a green sweater and khakis. He was talking to the woman who was in a white full body robe. The waves made it harder to know what the man was saying but reading lips he could at least try to make out what was going on.

Romeo peeked over Jeung's shoulder, "That's them?"

"Yes," answered the reaper. "I can't tell what they are conversing about..."

From where the two were spying from they were out of possibility of being spotted. Good thing too, Romeo didn't want to get in any sort of trouble, or even explain why he was on the beach in the middle of the night.

The strange man raised the device up and the woman shook her head.

Romeo spoke, "why does he have a camera?"

Raising his head with a confused look, "What's a camera?" asked Jeung.

"You don't know what-" Romeo stopped. He forgot who he was dealing with. It makes sense he doesn't know what a camera is, he thought. Jeung was a reaper of souls, forced to remain in the underworld for untold centuries, so of course he wouldn't know what a mortal camera was. "It's a device that captures pictures. Pretty cool to have. I got one as well, though the one that guy has makes mine look like a kid's toy in comparison."

"Oh..." Jeung turned his head back to the topic of interest. The man and woman spoke for a few more minutes before he turned and started to leave the beach. The woman remained, her shoulders slumping forward before she looked around at her surroundings.

It was the moment he saw her profile that Romeo gasped. "Is that...Nari?"

The name sounded familiar to Jeung. "Nari?"

The woman started to follow the camera man. As soon as they left the beach Romeo came out of hiding. "I'm positive that was her!"

Jeung got on his feet and walked under the dilapidated dock. Putting the mystery of the girl aside for the moment, he felt the familiar presence of the escaped soul he was supposed to capture nearby. Sure enough, he found evidence of recent activity. A small rectangular stone was partially buried in the wet sand. Characters that would have resembled a name were eroded on the stone. A grave marker. Yet where is the spirit?

"Jeung? Did you hear me?"

Romeo's words reached the reaper and yet the man knelt down to inspect the stone. "Is it about that girl?"

"Um, yeah! That girl goes to my school. Her name is Nari Yun-Soon and we're in the same class. Anyway, did you find your runaway ghost?"

Not even asking further Jeung shook his chin, "There was once a grave here, and yet the spirit is not here…"

"So it's gone?"

The reaper nodded.

And the teenager exploded, "You mean you dragged me out here so we could find nothing!?"

His mind was filled with thoughts concerning the spirit and not caring for the complaints of the teen next to him. 'I will find that spirit. Maybe not today but I need to soon.'


End file.
